Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Turk's Life For Me!
by Ms. Vincent Valentine
Summary: Journey along with the two newest Turks as they discover just exactly what it means to be a Turk and all the humorous adventures that come along with the job. May contain OOCness, colorful language, and compromising situations. RudexOCxRufus & RenoxOCxVincent
1. Neigh Neigh!

_Hello, everyone, and welcome to my first story! This was co-written with my sister, Miss Squall Leonhart. Neither of us own any of this, except for the OC's Tai and Skyla. Hope you enjoy!_

***BEGIN CHAPTER***

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

Skyla sat with her feet propped up on her desk, watching the never-ending neighing that was taking place on her computer screen. She absentmindedly twirled her hair around her finger, the rest cascading down her back in black waves. If the lighting hit it right, it would even look purple, which Skyla loved.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

Somehow, Skyla had managed to block out the annoying sound, as though she were used to it being blared from her speakers. It probably wasn't natural to be able to listen to 5 hours of nonstop neighing, but nothing about any Turk was natural.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

Skyla looked over as a figure filled her doorway. Well, halfway filled it at any rate.

"You have that on too? So do I! How far along are ya?"

"5 hours! Make that 5 hours, 3 minutes, and 10 seconds…11…12…13… You get the idea."

"Like o my muffins, me too! No wonder I didn't know you were playing it, we must have them synced!" The figure, in all her eagerness, flung a few of the croutons she was eating out of their bag.

"Oops. Ma bad, yo." Tai leaned over and picked up the fallen croutons, tossing them into the trash next to the desk. She flipped her burgundy hair over her shoulder as she righted her 4'11" (and a half!) self, the curls bouncing happily as she.

"Yea, that's right. You better pick those croutons up, woman!" Skyla joked, feigning anger. "Speaking of yo… Ya heard from Reno today? I have yet to see him."

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

"Hehe, actually… He just stopped by my desk a second ago… I didn't really catch what he said, since I was trying my best not to pass out from happiness, and all that…" Tai blushed, pink spreading across her cheeks as the moment in question played out in her mind.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

Skyla giggled, shaking her head. "You really need to work on that, Tai. For all you know, he could have just told you that he's been told he has testicular cancer! And here you would be, sitting there all giddy. Now just what do you think he would gather from that?"

Tai rolled her eyes. "If he had testicular cancer, he wouldn't be admitting to it in the middle of work. He would probably just pretend he didn't have it, and it'd go away!" Tai bounced over to sit on Skyla's desk.

"I'm going to guess you've gotten zero papers filled out today."

"You would guess correctly. Besides, have you tried to concentrate on a paper while listening to neighing? It is actually pretty hard, yo." Tai shoved the last of her croutons in her mouth. "O MY MUFFIN! I need to get to the lounge. I have eggs boiling in there and I need to make sure they're not on fire… Since I manage to catch something on fire every single time I try to make something…"

"You mean like that time you set my toaster on fire. POURING CEREAL?" Skyla asked, eyebrows raised.

"Um… Yea, about that… I told you I'd buy you another!"

Skyla rolled her eyes just as Elena passed by her office.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

"Sup, Elenay?" Tai asked, smiling.

Elena glared, first at Tai, then at an unsuspecting Skyla. "Sup? SUP? Want to know what's 'sup'? Okay, well first of all I get to work and find that, yet again and despite all my letters of complaint, they have yet to fire Reno. Then, I hear this… this… Annoying ass neighing coming out of the office next to me! Want to know who's next to me? You, Tai! And then, just now, I go into the lounge to get the bag of pretzels I left next to the microwave, only to find them engulfed by the flames that are bursting out of said microwave! THAT IS WHAT'S UP!"

Elena stomped away, fuming and mumbling under her breath. Skyla looked after her, shaking her head, before slowly turning to Tai.

"Tai, why is the microwave on fire, if I may ask?"

Tai shuffled towards the doorway, eyes darting between the hallway and Skyla. "Well… You see… Since they removed the stove after the first half a dozen fires I set… I had to microwave my eggs in order to hard boil them!"

Skyla looked at Tai, as that is all she could think of doing in response. "Are you an epic dumbass or something? You don't microwave eggs!"

Tai giggled nervously and then slowly backed out of the doorway. "Well, um, I'm just going to see if they're ok… Might have to make something else…"

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

Skyla shook her head at her retreating friend, calling out after her "That's right, woman! Get back in the kitchen! And make me a damn sandwich!"

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

"What is this nonsensical noise?" Skyla looked up from the entrancing video only to find Tseng standing in the doorway looking constipated.

"This is magic, Tseng. Magic." Skyla flashed him a smile, looking back to the screen. "Do you know why this is magic, Tseng?"

"Because it is going to help me kill you?"

"No, Tseng. Because it has driven Elena mad. By the way, would you like some Exlax?" Skyla began to reach for something in a drawer of her desk.

"Why would I need Exlax?" Tseng glared at Skyla. "Why do you have Exlax in your desk…?"

"It certainly isn't to secretly pour into Elena's drinks when she's away from her office. Most definitely not." Skyla darted her eyes from Tseng to her desk, sitting upright. He shook his head and left the room, mumbling about how his brain would be mush if he stayed much longer. Skyla herself was beginning to get a pulsing headache from the video, which had begun to sound like "Kill me!"

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

Meanwhile…

Tai was in the lounge, surveying the damage that she had (unwittingly) done, yet again. So, no microwave, a section of the counter needed to be replaced, at least 3 outlets rewired… And they were out of eggs. It was a sad, sad day.

While in the middle of what had to be the longest sigh in existence, Tai looked over at the entryway to the room to find Reno and Rude just passing through it.

"Sup, yo? Whoa, what the holy hell happened to this place!" Reno stood staring at Tai's crime scene, mouth slightly agape.

"Um… Well… Y-ya see… I-I-I d-don't know really…" Tai stuttered and stumbled over every word, made dumb by the presence of her long-time crush. Rude stared at her behind his sunglasses, shaking his head in disproval ever so slightly.

"Well, it looks like someone's even worse than I am when it comes to cooking, yo! And that's sayin' somethin', cuz I suck majorly. So, do ya have an answer to my question, yo?"

Tai stared dumbly at the redhead, trying to rack her brain for what the hell he was referring to. Question, what question? Since when did he care enough about anything to ask a damn question about it? Oh wait… The desk…

"Um… Shit… What did you ask again?" Tai asked, face heated. Reno laughed, a melodic and perfect sound to Tai's burning ears.

"I asked if ya could come with me to 7th Heaven Friday night, yo. Ya know, if ya don't have any other date that night." Reno smiled lazily at Tai, who was freaking out. Majorly.

"O-of c-c-c-course I could! I'd love to! What's the occasion, if I may ask?" Tai's heart was racing and thoughts were flying around her head. He had finally come to his senses and realized that he was truly, madly, desperately in love with her! Wait, check that… She was starting to sound like a certain obsessed girl… She didn't want to start neighing anytime soon.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

"So I can make that new hot chick from accounting jealous, yo! I knew you'd be up for it, since you're my best girl pal and all. Couldn't exactly take Rude, if ya know what I mean yo. Thanks a bunch, Tai. O, and by the way, what the fuck is up with that neighing? I'm hearing it everywhere, yo! It's driving me batshit!" Reno flailed his arms about to drive his point home, oblivious to the pale girl with the broken heart before him.

"O, it's just this thing that Skyla and I like to watch… Helps us relax and unwind, ya know…" Tai commented off-handedly. Rude shook his head, muttering something along the lines of 'crazy ass Turks' who 'needed to be sent to the fucking insane asylum for their mental ways'. Tai could only assume he meant Skyla and herself.

"Well, I think you need to find a different way to relax, yo. That one is annoying as all hell. More annoying than Laney, even. And that's saying something!" With that, the pair left the room in search of a more peaceful place.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

*Fast forward to the end of the workday*

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

Rufus Shinra sat at his desk, barely containing the rage that was about to burst forth from his white suited frame. Someone (and they all knew who… She was sitting across from him at the moment) had hijacked the intercom system and had begun this annoying array on the ears. As a result, all ShinRa employees had to be sent home early or risk losing their mental facilities.

"Skyla, would you mind explaining to me why exactly you over-rode my company's speakers to play this… this… shit, to put it nicely?" Rufus glared at Skyla, tapping his fingers in a fast tempo against his desk.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

"Well, um…you see…" Skyla tried not to look at Rufus too long, instead focusing her emerald eyes on her pasty hands that were folded in her lap. What kind of excuse could she possibly come up with? There was no way she would tell him the truth, which was to just annoy all hell out of everyone, because he would probably have her fired. The thought of her not being able to be close to her life-long crush made her shudder. "It all started on a rainy day…"

"I don't care WHEN it started, I just want it stopped!" Rufus tried to control the anger that was practically melting the room. "Oh, speaking of starting things…Tai, if you set one more room on fire, I swear I will have you demoted! This is ridiculous! In two weeks, you've caused us to repair over half of our facility! I might as well have burnt the place down entirely when I hired you!"

Tai looked down at her feet, blushing a little. The attention quickly went back to the reason they were all together in his office. Skyla looked at Rufus nervously, finally having thought of an excuse. "It was for motivation. You see, my goal was to motivate everyone to work so hard, they would in fact finish hours early, and would get loads more work done than they have in their entire lifetime!"

Rufus glared at her, obviously not buying it. However, he felt enough time had been wasted in his office with the neighing playing in the background, so he sighed and shook his head. "Just turn it off, before everyone shoots themselves simultaneously."

"Um, about that…"

"You do know how to turn it off, don't you?"

Skyla grinned sheepishly at Rufus, who looked like he might explode from outrage.

"Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh! Neigh neigh!"

"I'm pretty sure I might know, but I can't be for certain it is actually going to work…" Skyla looked over at Tai, who looked as if she had watched a cat die in her mind.

"I don't care if you're for certain, just do something!" Rufus was obviously angry, and who wouldn't be after hours of constant neighing? Skyla shrugged and tapped a few buttons on Rufus' computer, which resulted in an abrupt end to the neighing and the sound of a small explosion on the floor below.

"At least the neighing has stopped. Now, if you don't mind, I need to take some painkillers for the massive headache my employees give me." Rufus stood and walked out the door, obviously going to seek out said painkillers.

*Fast forward to Skyla and Tai's walk home*

"All in all, I think today was extremely productive! We got out 3 and a half hours early!" Skyla smirked, pleased with the work she and her friend/roommate/fellow Turk had done.

"True story. And I even got a little present for all our efforts!" Tai held up an obviously expensive paperweight, made entirely of materia and in the shape of a chocobo.

"That's great, Tai… Where'd ya get it?" Skyla asked, eyeing the paperweight. Something about it seemed familiar…

"The president's desk. Figured he'd want me to have it after the mean things he said to me today. Ya know, to make me feel better and all." Tai cradled her new treasure, only to have it snatched away by Skyla.

"O no! If it was Rufus', then it's only fair of you to give it to me! That's what a true bestie would do!" Skyla clutched the chocobo to her chest, as though it contained Rufus' heart in its depths.

"Fine," Tai said as she rolled her eyes. "Guess I'll just have to make do with this. Prolly something good in here." Tai pulled out a wallet, a very expensive leather one.

"And who the hell does that belong to? If it's Rufus', empty and give!" Skyla eyed the wallet, praying that it had rested in Rufus' pocket. His back pocket. Right against his perfect ass…

"Nah, Tseng's. Nabbed it while he was talking to Elenay. Now stop being a creep." Tai stood at the door to their apartment, sliding the key into the lock.

Skyla stopped short of entering the place, instead staring at Tai as though she had forgotten something. "Hey, Tai?"

"Yea, Skyla?"

"You never made me that sandwich. Now get in the kitchen and start to making, ho."

***END CHAPTER***

_And thus ends our first chapter! Whatcha think? Please review and, if you're feeling really nice, favorite! Hope to see ya next chapter!_


	2. A Faux Date

_So here's our second chapter, hope you like it! Again, Miss Squall Leonhart and I do not own anything but the characters we created._

***Begin Chapter***

Tai stood in the doorway, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. "Come on, Sky! You're going to make me late, yo!" Her light grey eyes shone with anticipation for the evening that was about to play out.

"Alright, sheesh. Some people actually try to finish their work." Skyla typed away on her computer, sending a fellow coworker a report that was meant to be sent several days ago, but overlooked due to the hacking of the intercom system, which she had found far more interesting.

"You obviously aren't talking about yourself, and you definitely are not referring to me, as you know I finished half an hour ago." Tai tapped her foot impatiently, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"No, but I thought I would mention everyone else who works here." Skyla flashed Tai a smile and turned her monitor off, grabbing her black messenger back and motioning Tai out the door, closing it swiftly behind them. Tai hurried to the restroom, changing into the outfit she'd taken forever to choose the night before. It had not been an easy task and had involved throwing every article of clothing both her and Skyla had ever owned onto the floor, then proceeding to try on 3 hours' worth of ensembles. The end result was perfect, though: A strapless floral mini-dress with a ruffled skirt, white cashmere cardigan, and wedged heels that could break your momma's neck (Tai really needed that height).

"Alright, you can come in!" Tai was observing herself in the full-length mirror when Skyla entered. "I look fine, right?" Tai turned to her friend for a confirmation, her nerves on edge as time ticked by.

"You look stunning; now hurry the hell up so we can get this show on the road." Skyla grabbed Tai's things for her as her friend bounced past her, heading towards the parking lot. Skyla had gotten ready in the men's restroom while waiting for Tai, wondering the entire time what it would be like to pee standing up. She made a mental note to try it sometime before she died.

Skyla had grabbed her own outfit on lunch, only briefly glancing at what she took from the closet before shoving it into her bag. The end result was surprisingly good for so little thought. She had on her favorite pair of distressed skinny jeans, a silky turquoise corset top, the gray suede ankle boots that Tai gave her for Christmas, and a black shrug to throw on in case she got chilly.

Skyla shook her head, remembering what exactly had caused her to cut her lunch short in the first place. It went a little like this:

*Earlier that morning*

Skyla leaned back in her chair, braiding her hair for the umpteenth time, only to unbraid it again. She had loads of work to do and no motivation to begin it. This was why she had started the braid again when a familiar redhead popped into her office.

"Sup, Skyla! How's it going, yo?" Reno gave Skyla his signature cocky smirk, leaning ever so casually on the wall beside her desk.

Skyla eyed Reno, pondering the reasons he could be here. It was obvious that he wanted something, the question was what exactly. Whatever it was, Tai was going to die when she found out that he had come to Skyla over her.

"What do you want, soulless? And it had better be good." Skyla righted herself, prepared for the worst.

"O, it is yo. You know how Tai is helping me launch Operation Jealousy tonight, right? Well, see, there's been a development in the situation yo. I caught Rude checking out this babe from Human Resources yesterday, so I thought I'd do him a favor, help him out. Ya know, get him this chick. So I told him that you would be his pretend date, like Tai is with me, yo. Help him catch a little action. Poor guy could use it. Anyway, I need you to do me a favor and get something nice to wear between now and tonight. Play it up, make it seem legit. Could ya do that, yo?" Reno gave Skyla his most award-winning smile, hoping that she had missed the part where he basically never asked her permission to set her up in all of this.

Skyla sat there for a moment, processing everything the idiot in her office had just thrown at her. She had always thought Rude was cute, the poster boy for tall, dark and handsome. So she didn't mind going out on a date with him, not at all… Except that in this scenario, she was helping him get a piece of ass. And it wasn't her own. This pissed her off, to be honest.

However, on the other hand… This was only a mock date to the four who knew about it. So others would see it as the real deal. Others, as in, just to name a random example… Rufus. This could actually play out in her favor as well, make the sexy president jealous. Oh yes, she was beginning to like the sound of this.

"Fine. I'll do it. But only because I don't want to leave Tai to your soul devouring devices, ginger. And I have plenty of nice things to wear, for your info. So fuck off." Skyla, after finishing this little rant of hers, flipped Reno the finger and began typing away on her computer. The work had to be done some time or another and braiding her hair probably wasn't doing much in the way of accomplishing it.

Reno laughed, Skyla's antics not bothering him in the least. "Thanks, yo. Rude owes ya one!"

With that he sauntered out of her office, Skyla rolling her eyes in his wake.

*Return to the present moment*

Tai chewed her pink-painted lips nervously. "So you're absolutely positive that I look alright?" She asked yet again.

"Yea, now get in your damn car so we can go." Skyla straddled her motorcycle as Tai slid into her decked-out sports car, both gunning the engine.

Tai raced out of the ShinRa parking garage first, her squealing tires illuminated by the hot pink glow emanating from under the silver vehicle. Skyla followed close behind, her dark hair whipping out from underneath her helmet as she sped along the highway. Her black motorcycle, with its turquoise under lights, was to be rivaled only by Cloud's monstrosity (if it wasn't for that array of weapons stashed away, Skyla's would definitely win).

Both Turks imagined how tonight would play out as they drove, hoping only for the best. They pulled up to 7th Heaven, staring at the entrance while they contemplated whether it was too late to turn back. Shrugging off any worries, Skyla and Tai met up at the door, gathering themselves as they walked inside. They scanned the room for their 'dates', stopping short when Reno waltzed over to Tai.

"This plan is going to go way better than I expected, yo." Reno's eyes ran over Tai's body, taking in what she longed to be pure perfection, something that would change the way he viewed her. A blush began to creep across her cheeks from all his attention and she hoped he would believe it was due to the amount of people pressing around them. This had to be the most crowded she had ever seen the bar. He finally took her hand and led her to a small table that seated two, giving her a lazy smile and a wink over his shoulder.

Skyla smiled towards her friend, hoping she wouldn't just sit there with a grin on her face and eyes glazed over the whole night, being in such close proximity with her crush and all. She turned her attention to the rest of the joint, searching for her own 'date' and praying Rufus would be close by. She spotted Rude standing by the bar and walked up behind him.

"There you are." Skyla sat herself on a stool next to where Rude was standing, angling herself to look up at him. He had made no effort whatsoever to look spiffy for tonight's occasion, wearing what he always wore. Of course, to Skyla, he looked close to perfection in it, an air of mystery surrounding him. She stared at him, wondering what he would say if he ever actually talked sociably to people.

Maybe he would tell her she looked beautiful tonight, like she knew Reno would probably tell Tai. Of course, Reno would say something more along the lines of "You look smokin', yo!" Which, when roughly translated into normal human speech, is the just about the equivalent of calling her beautiful. Or maybe he would comment on how her look suited her personality, the same personality he found to be so alluring.

Ha. Yeah. And maybe Rufus would show up in her office tomorrow and do a strip tease to "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (Skyla would too, but only if she could then lick it off…).

Rude glanced down at Skyla, her reflection gazing back at her from his sunglasses as he gave her a once over before looking back to the others surrounding them. Skyla thought he was probably searching for the girl Reno had mentioned earlier and she let a heavy sigh pass her lips. Rufus still was nowhere to be seen at present.

This would be a long night.

Meanwhile, Tai sipped at her drink while gazing at Reno when he wasn't looking. She could do this all night, bathing in the perfection personified in his gorgeous physique. From what little bits of conversation she'd caught, Reno hadn't seen the girl he'd set out to make jealous yet. He knew she would be here with that girl from HR, he told her, but wasn't this crowd damn hard to sort through?

Maybe, just maybe, Tai mused, this was all just an elaborate plan he'd thought up to get her to go out with him. She blushed at the thought, shoving it from her mind. Right, like Reno would go through all that trouble, especially for someone like her. He might for the leggy, stacked blondes he was accustomed to, but only so he could get that roll in the sack. And Tai wanted much more than that (though that was also certainly on her mind).

Reno turned his attention back to her, flashing her one of those heart-stopping smiles. "I don't know if I told ya this already, but you look hella good tonight, Tai. I'm not used to seein' you so damn hot. You look smokin', yo!" He winked at her to emphasize his compliment.

Tai blushed, a deep crimson wave that began at her ears and washed over her face and neck. "T-thanks, Reno. You look hot y-yourself, ya know. She's a lucky g-girl."

Reno leaned back, hands behind his head. He did look good, effortlessly so. With a pair of ripped, worn out jeans and a button down shirt that wasn't tucked in and slightly wrinkled, he looked as though he had just woken up and grabbed the first thing he saw. It was his style and it suited him perfectly.

"Don't ya know it! Any girl is lucky to fuck with me, yo. Ah, I think I see her! Quick, Tai, scoot closer. Let's put our plan into action." Reno pulled Tai closer to him, casually draping his arm over her shoulder. Tai's heart suddenly sped up, beating out a quick cadence against her ribs. She threw a glance over towards the bar where she knew Skyla was seated beside Rude, managing to catch her eye.

Skyla knew that panicked look well. Tai was in over her head with her feelings for Reno and couldn't be counted on to act like a sane person. "Hey, Rude. Let's go find some chairs and join Reno and Tai."

Rude nodded his consent, setting off in search of chairs while Skyla wove her way through the crowd to where her comrades sat. She arrived at their table at the same moment that Rude walked up with two chairs and they both had a seat.

"How's it going, guys?" Skyla asked, eyeing Tai to make sure she was alright. Who knew, she might suddenly pass out or start giggling like a raving lunatic. She had done both before and everyone knows that the past tends to repeat itself…

"Fantastic, yo. There's no way my plan won't work. I tell ya, Rude, by this time tomorrow we'll be fascinating the office with our accounts of the chicks we're gonna bag tonight. Ok, girls, start pouring on the charm. Here they come! Annnnnd action!" Reno adopted that self-assured smirk of his and leaned in towards Tai.

From an outsider's point of view, it might look as though they were on a very intimate date, Skyla supposed. From hers, it just looked like what it truly was: a dumbass too damn blind to realize the almost-hyperventilating girl next to him.

Men.

Skyla glanced at Rude, unsure of what to do. She knew she should probably follow Reno's example, but Rude looked like if she tried, he would flip her over a table. So she would have to think outside the box, take him by surprise…

Skyla smirked and leaned in closer to Rude, almost as if she were daring him to try something. She reached her hand up as though she were going to rest it on his cheek, typical lover style. Instead, she quickly snatched the glasses from his face and set them behind her, out of reach, knowing Rude wouldn't attempt to recover them for fear of accidentally grabbing her ass.

Skyla smiled triumphantly as Rude searched his suit jacket, and then his pants, for the extra pair(s) of glasses he typically carried, only to come up empty handed. He glared at the girl smiling up at him with newfound anger, holding his hand out expectantly.

"I sure hope you're not holding your breath, because you won't be getting them back until this 'date' is over, pal." Skyla winked at him, trying to contain the giggles building up inside her chest. Rude looked pretty hot when he was frustrated, and she liked it. This night might not be as boring as she had anticipated, Rufus or no.

Skyla turned her attention back to Tai and was a bit taken aback by what she saw. It was as though one of the dreams Tai had relayed to her countless times before was playing out right there in front of her.

Reno's lips had pressed against Tai's suddenly. She stiffened from shock initially, but then relaxed into the moment, enjoying the feel of his soft lips against hers. Had she died and this was her Heaven? No, she could hear some idiot retching in the corner from too much of a good thing.

But she was in 7th Heaven. So maybe that counted for something.

Skyla let a small smile play across her features as she observed the two in action. It was obvious that Tai was on Cloud 9, floating away in the reality of her fantasies come true. Her cheeks looked so hot, Skyla was almost positive that they could've boiled the water in the glasses on the table.

Tai's heart seemed to stop for a moment and then begin anew, almost as if to confirm she were living and this was not in fact a very, very vivid dream.

Of course, the magic of the moment was slaughtered when Reno pulled away and began to speak. "Do ya think she saw?" Reno glanced around casually, overlooking the combined emotions of fading bliss and heartbreak on Tai's face.

After a moment, Reno sighed and ran a hand through his already mussed hair. "Would ya believe it? She was so flustered by how damn hot I am, she had to leave, yo. Well fuck, Rude, looks like our luck left with them. Unbelievable. Am I right, yo?"

Skyla rolled her eyes. "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Does that mean this mess is over?" She crossed her arms, disappointed that she hadn't seen Rufus once and annoyed at Reno's complete lack of concern (or realization, for that matter) for how Tai felt.

Tai's face was still red and her eyes were focused on her drink, as though it were going to do a fascinating trick soon. Even from her position across the table, Skyla could feel the embarrassment radiating from Tai. She knew she was dying to get out of there.

"Yea, I s'pose so. Well, thanks Tai, ya did great, yo. Sorry ya got all pretty for nothin'. But hey, girl, I owe ya one! See ya at work, babe." Reno winked and gave her his signature smile before standing.

Rude scowled at Skyla, who reluctantly returned his sunglasses with a huff. He slid them over his eyes, and with a 'hmph', he stood and followed his partner out of the bar.

Skyla stood and went to Tai's side, watching the two leave. "You know, I could almost believe he had set this whole thing up JUST to get a kiss from you…"

***End Chapter***

_So, what did ya think? Tell us in a review! (Please!)_


	3. Sock Party

_Hello, everyone, and welcome to Chapter 3! I hope you're enjoying the story so far :) As a reminder, Miss Squall Leonhart and I do NOT own anything but the poor little OC's we hath made. Enjoy!_

***Begin Chapter*  
**

"I can't believe we have to work Saturdays. This sucks on so many levels," Tai complained while pushing the 'up' button for the elevator repeatedly. She shifted her weight back and forth, back and forth between her feet. Why was the elevator so damn slow? She wanted to take the stairs, but nooooo, says Skyla. Too much damn work for her. Lazy ass.

"I know. But at least it's only a half day. And we have Sundays off, so…" Skyla trailed off as the elevator reached the ground floor, the doors opening with a 'ding!' She followed Tai inside, pushing the button for their floor; home of the Turks, below only the President. They were such major badasses, yet obviously not badass enough to warrant an entire weekend off.

The doors slid shut again, and the ascent began. Skyla eyed Tai in amusement as she entered her 'happy zone': eyes closed, hugging herself, muttering motivational phrases repeatedly to keep from spazzing out. Tai, for as long as her friend could remember, was terrified of small, enclosed spaces. And this elevator, despite being made almost entirely of glass, definitely caused Tai's claustrophobia to kick in.

The second the doors parted, Tai threw herself out. Only to crash straight into the person waiting directly in front of them.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey, there, good to see you too, yo! Though you were one girl I wasn't expecting to throw herself at me, Tai." Reno smiled down at Tai, who was still leaning into his arms for support. She blushed intensely. This was the closest she had ever been to Reno. He smelled so good, like cinnamon and some type of expensive cologne. She could stand here all day, leaning against his muscular chest, inhaling his heavenly scent…

Tai quickly righted herself, muttering something under her breath about needing help, before rushing into her office and slamming her door.

Reno gave Skyla a questioning look, not quite sure what just happened, but she only shrugged.

"Where are you off to, demon face? We ALL have to work today, in case you didn't remember." Skyla scowled at him, certain he was about to make a run for it. No way. If she had to stay here and endure another boring day doing paperwork, then so did he.

"I know, yo. Sheesh, get your panties out of a bunch. I'm just headed downstairs for a sec. Gotta pick something up, yo. I'll be back soon enough. Try not to miss me too much when I'm gone, yo." With that said and a wink thrown her way, Reno stepped into the vacant elevator and disappeared behind its doors.

"He is SO delusional," Skyla huffed before stalking away.

Skyla entered her office, sighing as she sank into her chair, placing her messenger bag under her desk. She turned on her monitor, staring at the screen with growing boredom. She checked her emails, noticing Tseng had sent one to everyone regarding her beloved Rufus. She usually just deleted anything from Tseng, but since Rufus was involved, she had to swallow her annoyance and open it.

"_I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors that our president's birthday is approaching. It's true! I've decided that we'll be hosting a surprise party (which means to keep quiet about it, Reno) for him next Saturday. This means we'll have to stay after hours on Friday to ready the office. Don't forget to bring gifts! If you don't have an idea of what to get him, you can always ask me. I already have an amazing gift I ordered online. :) -Tseng_"

Skyla bit her lip thoughtfully. Tseng had already gotten a present, and SHE hadn't? How could she have forgotten her dear Rufus' birthday? She smacked her face with the palm of her hand. Of course! - She had forgotten with the commotion of the intercom override and the faux date. She stood and went to Tai's office, letting herself in.

"Feeling up to some shenanigans?" Skyla gave Tai a mischievous smile, which Tai couldn't help but return.

"Sure, let's do it, yo!" Tai jumped up and followed her friend out into the hall and down to Tseng's office.

"I need you to keep watch for me while I hack into Tseng's computer. He shouldn't be back for another 45 minutes or so. He's out running an errand, I believe. I spotted him leaving a bit after Reno did." Skyla waltzed into his open office and sat in his fancy rolly chair, turning on his computer. "The twit claims to have gotten my Rufus an amazing gift."

Tai laughed openly at Skyla's tone and her reference to Rufus as her own, as though he were a trophy sitting upon a shelf. Her laugh carried through the halls in perfect melody, and Skyla stopped scowling to smile.

"Glad to see you're feeling better after the… incident… you had earlier." Tai blushed fiercely upon the mention of this moment, one she would sooner forget.

"Yea… Wasn't expecting him to be there…. Anywhos, enough about me! More about you! Hacking away into that computer!" Tai made a 'hurry up' motion anxiously with her hands, and turned her still pink face towards the door. She peered into the deserted hallway, willing her mind to focus on that instead of the way Reno's hands felt around her arms…

Skyla, meanwhile, was now deep in concentration on the task presented before her. Hacking into Tseng's computer should be no problem, especially after bypassing the entire company's system. After all, this was what she did best, what ShinRa hired her for in the first place. There was few (if any) who matched her skill with technology, specifically computers.

So this dweeb's lousy security blocks? Piece of cake.

Skyla pecked away at a few letters on the keyboard, hit some random buttons, clicked a few things and… Presto! Like magic (only it wasn't, it was pure genius at play), Tseng's system whirred to life and up popped his desktop screen.

And out from Skyla's mouth popped…

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY HOOOOOOOOOOOOLY MOOOOOOOOOTHEEEEEER OOOOOOOOOOOF SHIIIIIIIIIN-RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Tai jumped, startled by the sudden scream emitted from Skyla. She sounded as though she had walked in on her beloved Rufus kissing that pretty new secretary of his (not that he had… that Skyla will ever know…).

"Wha-…? Do I even want to know? Judging by your face, prooooolly not." Tai shook her head, only to be motioned over by Skyla.

"No. No no no. I am NOT going to be the only person to be unfortunate enough to see this. Come here and LOOK!" Skyla said shakily, pointing a finger at Tseng's monitor with a horrified look across her features.

Tai walked over to stand at Skyla's side, totally unprepared for what she saw next. Her face now mirrored Skyla's, and she knew many nightmares would visit her after having seen this.

Tseng's background was a picture. Not just any picture, a very frightening picture of someone they knew. Not just ANY person they knew, but Elena. Only Elena was missing something, or a few somethings...

Elena was naked, and on Tseng's computer (as his background, of course). She was standing next to a plush-looking bed, arms stretched over her head… Tai quickly turned away, not wanting to explore the image in any greater detail. It would be a miracle if this morning's breakfast did not make an appearance right now.

"That is so sick! I thought they weren't seeing each other or anything!" Tai managed to get out without retching all over the Director's carpet.

"They aren't…it looks like he snuck this picture, probably while she was getting ready to go to sleep. Or he paid someone to get it for him. I'm not sure which would make him more of a creep…" Skyla shook her head and started sifting through his files, pulling up his internet history while she was at it.

"That's just so disturbing, yo." Tai tried to shake the images from her mind as she looked down the hallway. No one had walked by since they'd been in Tseng's office, which was probably the best luck ever. Tai wondered if it was the universe's way of apologizing for what they'd seen.

"He sure has some weird file names on here…check this: 'Sock Party.' I wonder wha-"As Skyla clicked onto the folder, a video popped up halfway through playing and moaning was blared out the speakers. She covered her mouth with her free hand and quickly muted the sound, her eyes wide. Tai looked at her with equally wide eyes.

"What the holy hell was that? Don't tell me…" Tai mouthed the word 'porn' to her friend, and Skyla nodded gravely. "I never would have guessed that Tseng was that type of guy…" Tai looked off into the hallway distractedly, wondering if Reno was hiding anything himself. Maybe not porn (he flaunts that) or naked pictures of any coworkers, but something just as big, just as secretive. Tai shook her head. What the hell was up with her today?

"I never would have thought he would be STUPID enough to keep it on his WORK computer on the HOME SCREEN." Skyla shook her head as she read through his emails, looking for any trace of an online receipt. Suddenly, she found one from a fancy-sounding store talking about his recent purchase. From what she could make out, Tseng had bought Rufus…

A tie…?

The 'amazing gift' Tseng was so proud of, was A TIE?

No, correction: a PERSONALIZED tie. Skyla stared at the screen a moment, looking at the silver material with small yellow chocobos dotting it, wearing pirate hats and dancing the hustle. Across the very bottom, in scrolling crimson letters, was printed _Shin-Ra._ This was seriously the gift?

Skyla burst into laughter, unable to contain herself. "Haha, T-tai…! You w-will NEVER, haha, b-b-believe what he g-got Rufus! A TIE, Tai, a fucking, hahahaha, TIE! With dancing CHCOCOBOS! Bahahahahahahahahaha!"

Skyla fell to the floor, doubled over and clutching her stomach. It hurt, her stomach, from the gigantic fit she was having right now, but she couldn't stop it. The laughing. She hadn't laughed so hard in a very long time.

Tai stood in the doorway, concerned. Skyla looked like she had lost it. It didn't really surprise her; it was a long time coming actually. What really bothered her was that she chose this moment, here in Tseng's office.

Especially since their luck had finally run out.

Tai scurried over to stand next to where Skyla was still on the floor, sniggering like a lunatic. There in the doorway, where Tai had been only seconds before, loomed Rude. He unnerved her, not because he was so much bigger than her, or because he never talked, but because he never removed those damn sunglasses.

It just bothered her. Did he have sensitive eyes? Was it his way of 'sticking it' to 'the man'? No, that seems more like something his partner, Reno, would do. Then why, in the name of all that is good in this world, WHY DID HE WEAR THOSE MOTHER LOVING SUNGLASSES ALL THE TIME?

Skyla sat up and looked towards the door, finally having gotten herself under control. Seeing Rude filling the space, she hopped to her feet and threw on her best smile. "Heeey buddy! How've you been? Haven't seen you since our date."

Rude stared at Skyla, face not showing any signs of emotion. "Hmph. Why are you in the Director's office?"

Skyla gave a small laugh. "Oh, you know. Dropping off some paperwork. What I'm supposed to be doing, duh."

Rude didn't look convinced. "So why were you on the floor laughing then?"

"Oh, that? Tai just told me the FUNNIEST joke ever! Didn't you, Tai?" Skyla looked over at the short Turk, bright smile glued to her face and eyes expectant.

"U-um, yea. I sure did! Just heard it the other day. Couldn't wait to tell someone." Tai's eyes darted nervously about the room. As long as she didn't see the glasses, she'd be fine….

"What is it?" Rude asked. Skyla stared at him blankly.

"What's what?" She inquired back, the same fake smile still pasted on her face.

"The joke." Rude stood, waiting. He wasn't going to leave them be until he heard the nonexistent joke.

Fuck.

Skyla racked her brain, scrambling to think of something, anything, to tell the bald, sexy hunk.

"Oh yea! The joke! It was… This! Ready? It's gonna blow your socks off! (You do wear socks, right? O ShinRa, socks. Not _socks_. Never mind, not important.)What do you call cheese that isn't yours?... Wait for it… Na-cho cheese!" Skyla (nervously) delivered the line, hoping that Rude had a shitty sense of humor.

A second passed… Then two… Then ten… And Rude just stood there, staring.

Or they thought he did. Who could tell with those Raybands?

"That's it?" He said finally, after what seemed like forever.

"Um, yea, that's it. What, you don't like Tai's joke? Gosh Rude, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but you're rude! Look, now you've gone and hurt her feelings. Tsk tsk. Well, if you don't mind moving, we'll be out of here now. Tai has to go drown her sorrows in a pint of ice cream." Skyla grabbed Tai by the wrist and dragged her out of the room, shoving past Rude on their way out. She pulled Tai along until they reached the Turk's lounge, and after entering, finally let her wrist go.

Skyla breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over. You can thank me for my quick thinking anytime now."

Skyla looked over at her friend, who was staring at the floor looking worried. "Um, don't you think that Rude is going to know we were up to something?" Tai asked distractedly.

How could Tai be ok with stealing, but not hacking? Skyla let a heavy sigh pass between her lips. Tai always got nervous when her friend asked her to keep watch, and despite the constant reassurance that Skyla had it under control, she never felt any better about it. Skyla just didn't understand her sometimes.

"Tai, I've told you before, I'm an expert hacker. There's no one still breathing who's more experienced than I." She gave a triumphant smile and stood tall with her arms over her chest. "But when Rude is away, we seriously need to get back in there. I forgot to log off of the computer." Tai shook her head, but Skyla was already pulling her delicate pal behind her.

They hid along a wall, peeking around the corner. When they saw that the coast was clear, they ran back to the Director's office. Skyla logged off, leaving everything as it had been, while Tai observed some things on a filing cabinet in the corner.

Tai's curiosity got the better of her. She couldn't help it really. All of these shiny, new things… So many levers… And the cute little beeps they made! Tai began to repeatedly push a few buttons on one of the machines, but it didn't do a thing (that she could tell).

Finally, in frustration, she began banging on the machines and pressing all the buttons she could.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? You'll break something!" Skyla shoved the chair back under the desk and grabbed her friend by her shoulders, pushing her out into the hallway. They began to make their way back to their offices when they bumped into no other than Tseng himself.

"Watch where you're going! I nearly spilled my coffee!" Tseng gripped his mug tightly, glaring at them. "What are you two up to, anyway? Don't you have paperwork to fill out?"

"Um… Uh… We were just…" Tai looked at Tseng, but all she could think of was 'sock party', the moaning echoing in her head.

"Getting drinks. We were so thirsty! This place just sucks the life outta ya on Saturdays! Or any day, for that matter. Well, we have to get back to our paperwork now so we can leave. Bye!" Skyla grabbed Tai's arm and pulled her back to reality as they hurried away from Tseng.

Just as they were halfway down the hall, they heard Tseng yelling something unintelligible. They looked at each other, then back to the place where he'd been, smoke now occupying his spot.

Skyla looked at Tai, who grinned sheepishly, and smacked her forehead with her palm.

It looked like, yet again, they would be staying late to make up for their shenanigans.

_To be continued... _

***End Chapter***

_So what did ya think? Please tell us in a review! It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!_


	4. Shopping Spree

_So here's chapter 4! Miss Squall Leonhart and I wrote it on no sleep, so we hope it is still to your liking. Again, we own nothing but the OC's, blah blah blah. Enjoy!_

***Begin Chapter***

"This blows; I can't believe we have to stay after hours to do more paperwork. On a Saturday. Because _someone_ couldn't resist pressing every button on a couple of machines." Skyla glared at Tai, who was grinning sheepishly. Skyla let out a heavy sigh and shook her head, smiling back. She couldn't stay mad at her best friend, even if she tried.

"Well it's not my fault that they looked so interesting! And ya know, Rufus didn't _have_ to make us stay late. Blame him." Tai shrugged her shoulders. Skyla frowned at her co-worker, not pleased at all with the way she just had just talked about her dear President.

"Can you blame him? You reduced almost ALL of the files in Tseng's office to ashes! And now we have to work to replace them. Lucky us." Skyla rolled her eyes, voice practically dripping with sarcasm. She was not looking forward to the rest of this day. At all.

When they finally reached Skyla's office, they parted ways, going to the paperwork they'd put off, as well as the new paperwork that they'd just been given. After what felt like an hour (but was only 10 minutes), Tai popped her head into Skyla's doorway.

"Already bored, huh?" Skyla didn't even bother to look up from her paperwork, as she was actually trying to get something done, for probably the first time in her entire career.

"Yea… Aren't you?" Tai bounced over and sat on the edge of Skyla's desk. "So I say we get outta here and go shopping for gifts, yo." This got Skyla's attention, and she looked up at Tai with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"And outfits for the party. It's semi-formal, remember?" Tai smiled brightly at Skyla's newfound enthusiasm and hopped off the desk, practically skipping to the door with Skyla close behind. They made their way to the elevators, each contemplating what they would wear. Dress or skirt? New skinny jeans or a nice pair of leather pants? The possibilities were endless.

When the elevator doors slid open, Tai took a shaky breath and edged inside. Skyla shook her head, pressing the button for the 2nd floor. Tai automatically traveled to her 'happy place', willing the elevator to travel faster.

As soon as the elevator 'dinged' to signal its arrival and the opening of its doors, Tai bolted out.

"Contain yourself, will you? It really isn't that bad." Skyla said, shaking her head at her friend's antics. She acted so much like a child at times.

"Yea, says you. You don't realize all of the _horrible_ things that could go wrong…. It's _so_ tiny in there… Ugh, I just hate it so much!" Tai shuddered. Just mentioning the closed in, shrinking space… It was almost too much to bear.

Nothing a little shopping couldn't remedy.

"If you say so. At least you didn't plow into someone that time." Skyla replied, smirking at the furious blush flaming across her pal's features. "Chill, Tai, it was a joke."

"Not a very funny one… I wonder where he buys his cologne?..." Tai mumbled to herself, following her friend into the department store. Immediately upon entering, she snapped back into her bubbly mode and began looking around in giddy anticipation.

"So where should we head first? Oh, oh, let's get our clothes first! C'mon, Skyla!" Tai jumped around excitedly, completely in her element. She was the shopping queen. Her wardrobe was more than 5 times the size of Skyla's. It took up Tai's entire walk-in closet AND the 3rd bedroom, which they also had to somehow use as an office.

Skyla was seriously considering signing up her roommate for some type of Shopaholics Anonymous.

"Fine, fine. Lead the way." Skyla trailed behind Tai, half-way listening to her babble on about the choices of attire they had. Skyla's mind was elsewhere, envisioning a certain white suit and the dreamy God-like man who graced it. How he could make something so tacky look so good was still a mystery to her.

A mystery Skyla would love to crack.

Another figure entered her mind with the ramblings of Tai. A certain Turk, to be precise. Silent as the graves he had put many a criminal in, mysterious as the white suit case, completely unfathomable. And damn sexy. Boy, did Skyla love a man in black who was good with his hands….

She had to stop thinking like that.

Skyla rammed into Tai unexpectedly, confused as to why she had stopped. "You were thinking nasty thoughts again, weren't you? I can tell by that look on your face. Tsk tsk. Anywho, we're here!" Tai said, first shaking her finger in Skyla's face, then gesturing wildly about her.

Skyla did a once over of her surroundings. She took in the massive amounts of material, colors, textures, shapes… It was a bit overwhelming. This was exactly why her outfit selection was so much smaller than Tai's. Massive multi-million dollar security system that is virtually fool-proof? Bring it on. The clothing section in a large department store? No, thank you.

Tai, however, was reveling in the massive amount of decisions she had around her. There really was something wrong with that girl, Skyla thought, if she found THIS to be fun. "Yes, I can see that, Tai. And who are you to shake that finger? I know that you are worse than me when it comes to Reno. I swear, sometimes I think you two are just alike…" Skyla smiled at her friend, who, yet again, had pink staining her cheeks.

"Whatever, let's just find some things to try on." Tai plunged into a rack of dresses, hiding her embarrassment amidst all the fabric. Skyla grinned and shook her head, eyeing a pair of leather pants. She has always wanted to own a pair… Even if it's just to say she does…

"Sky! I found a few things I absolutely _adore_! Grab something and come on, yo!" Tai headed for the dressing rooms, dresses stacked in her arms. This was going to take a while (if not for the rest of eternity). You'd think with the amount of things that Tai owned that she was a compulsive shopper. In all actuality, she wasn't. She deliberately picked every item she owned, no matter how much time it took (hence the worrying about never being able to leave the store). Something about working hard for her money and not wanting to just throw it away, blah blah blah.

Skyla grabbed the leather pants and a tight shirt from a nearby rack and found an empty dressing room.

Tai emerged from her dressing room, wearing one of the dresses she'd picked out. It was a mod-type thing, Skyla supposed, a sort of dark blue with a white collar and peephole in the front. Skyla looked her over once, shaking her head. "It's too straight. It doesn't show off all your womanly wonders."

Tai rolled her eyes. "What are you, my grandma? Jus' say curves like a normal person, will ya?" She turned and retreated to try on another. After sliding into her choice of clothing, Skyla emerged the same time as Tai. They each scanned the other.

"I like that one, it really brings out your eyes." Skyla said thoughtfully.

"I don't, it's itchy. Who the hell makes dresses outta this fabric? Hmm… I don't really like that combo, not for a party like this. It's classy, and that screams 'You picked me up at a bar half drunk. Now take me home and do nasty things to me, yo.' Why don't you let _me_ find ya something?" Tai and Skyla left to strip and slide back into their clothes, going out to search again.

Tai scanned rack after rack, pulling out things that caught her attention. After 15 minutes and around 30 dresses later, Tai yanked Skyla into a dressing room.

"How the hell did you even find so many?" Skyla stared awe-struck at the stack of dresses in Tai's arms. She didn't even know the store _had_ that many. Tai grinned at her before motioning for her to strip.

The two women shared an apartment and had been friends since longer than either could recall, so they had seen each other in their underwear (and less) countless times before. It didn't bother them at all; that's how close they had become, almost like sisters.

Once Skyla was down to her underwear and bra, Tai handed her a dress that she'd picked out just for her. "Here. I saw this and it practically threw itself at me, wanting your body. Naughty thing." Skyla shook her head and slipped into it. She waited for Tai to lace it up, as it had a corset backing.

"What do I do with the rest of the ribbon?" After what had felt like forever, Tai had gotten it all laced. Even though Skyla was used to lacing corsets, Tai wasn't, and there was no way Skyla could've reached to do it herself.

"Just shove it in the hole!"

"But it's so big! And there's so much, yo! How is it supposed to fit into that small hole?"

"Just shove it hard!"

"But what if it rips?"

"At least it'll be in."

"But I don't wanna hurt it!"

"You won't, I promise! Hey, watch the ass! You aren't supposed to be thrusting it in there!"

"Alright, alright! I got it in, yo! Yes!"

"Finally!"

Skyla and Tai exited the dressing room, jumping a bit in surprise when they discovered someone staring at them. Reno stood there, eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar.

"What the hell was goin' on in there, yo?" He asked, staring at them like he already knew what had taken place (or what he WISHED had taken place, to be more accurate).

"We were pushing the excess ribbon from my corset into the small opening at the bottom. What did you think was going on in there, dumbass? Never mind, I think I have a pretty good idea. Be careful you don't get a nose bleed imagining things that will never in a million years occur. The blood would never come out of your suit." Skyla stalked away to the mirror huffily, considering her reflection.

"Sheesh. I was just askin', yo. Why aren't you playin' dress up, Tai? Isn't that one of your favorite past times?" Reno leaned casually against the rack closest to him, giving Tai a friendly smile.

Tai swallowed nervously and gave Reno a similar smile, albeit a shakier one. "I w-was. Trying on clothes, I-I mean. I was just helping Sky out, so…" Tai motioned uncertainly towards herself, letting an uneasy giggle escape. "Nothing for me, at the moment."

Skyla looked over at her love-struck friend from her place before the mirror. How could Reno be so blind? It was so obvious that Tai was completely head over heels for him. The man was a complete idiot. "Tai, I don't think this is the one." She called towards her friend.

Tai looked over her shoulder. "Well I grabbed another in case that was the deal. It's the black and teal one. When ya see it, you'll know it was meant for ya." Skyla nodded then went to change into said article of apparel. Don't get her wrong; Skyla liked the dress she had on. It was a deep purple, strapless and tutu skirted. Sparkles adorned the bodice, not an overwhelming amount, just enough to bring a bit of attention to the torso.

And while Skyla loved to accentuate the girls, this just wasn't the dress for the party.

Meanwhile, Tai had turned her full attention back to Reno. Somehow, in the brief seconds that had passed when she had spoken to Skyla, he had grown even sexier. His collar was open, as he always wore it, revealing a bit of his ripped chest. Tai would love to see the rest of that chest; unfasten the remaining buttons on his crinkled shirt and slide it off and down the rippling muscles in his arms… Rest her hands against his rock-hard abs…

"Heeeeey, earth to Tai! Did ya even hear a word I said to ya?" Reno chuckled at the startled, then embarrassed, look on Tai's face. "You are a piece of work, I tell ya. Like I was saying, I had just stopped in cuz I forgot to get somethin'. What do I see but that pissy friend of yours, accompanied by a walking pile of clothes. Which I assumed to be you. So I moseyed on over to see what was goin' on, yo. Then I hear the weirdest damn conversation comin' from the dressing rooms. What the hell was I supposed to assume? If you had heard it, you would've thought the same thing, yo!"

Tai smiled at Reno, the first time that day she had managed to do so without blushing. "Prolly the same thing. What did you come here to get?"

Reno shrugged. "Box of condoms. I'm out, yo. So you found somethin' for the party yet? To wear, I mean." Tai shook her head. His condom comment had brought her down, and just when she had gained a tiny bit of confidence around him. It was just what she needed, the reminder that he would rather fuck a bunch of bimbos than be with her.

Reno gave her a reassuring smile, walking aver to pat her shoulder. "Don't worry Tai. You'll find somethin'. Unlike a bunch of other girls, ya don't need much to look amazin'. You always do. I think the harpy is ready for ya now; she's giving me death glares. So see ya later, yo!" Reno turned and sauntered away, and Tai was glad he did.

Because she was the brightest shade of pink she had ever been in her entire life.

Tai somehow made her way over to where Skyla was standing, hand on hip in a new dress. He had said she looked amazing. That she always did. So he did noticed her! Or maybe he had just said it to be nice. No, no. Tai refused to bring herself down. She was going to take it as a compliment. Yes, a compliment, one she had been praying for every night of her life since meeting him.

Up next: Get him to flirt with her.

"This is definitely it." Skyla adjusted her position to check every angle, pleased with the reflection. It was almost as if the dress had been made with her in mind. It was a bandage dress, a bit shorter than knee length and with ample cleavage showing. It showed off enough to get attention, but not too much. It was perfect.

Skyla couldn't help but imagine Rufus' face when he laid eyes on her in that dress. He'd have to take her aside, into his office, lock the door, slip out of his suit, push her against his desk, and…

"Yea, it looks smokin' on you, yo!" Tai was beaming at her, obviously ecstatic that Skyla had actually liked something Tai picked out. Usually, she wouldn't even glance at the things Tai offered up; their styles were just too different. But Tai was catching on to what Skyla wore (after all those years). This was definitely a winner.

Skyla had crashed back to reality, just when her daydream was getting good and hot too. She smiled innocently, since Tai was looking at her suspiciously, and went back to the dressing room. "I'm definitely getting the other dress, too. It'll be for something different though. So, what are you getting? Have you decided? Or will you just go 'a la naturale'?"

Tai sauntered in after her friend, overjoyed that Skyla was going to be buying not one, but _two_ of the dresses she'd picked out. "I'm not sure yet, yo. I'll try on a few more." Skyla shimmied out of the dress while Tai shimmied into one. When Skyla turned to her friend, her eyes lit up.

"Why are ya lookin' at me like that?" Tai shot her friend a look then emerged from the dressing room to gaze at her reflection. This was it. _The_ dress. It was a little black dress (or LBD for short). And it was freakin' gorgeous. It was one shoulder, created from pure silk, and stopped halfway down her thigh. Not only did it make her look taller (quite the feat) but it slimmed her while still accentuating her curves.

And she knew just the shoes she would wear with it…

"You have to get it, Tai." Skyla watched as Tai scanned herself repeatedly. Absolutely everything about the dress was perfect. The way it hugged her skin was bound to get Reno's attention. He wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her (or his hands). At least, that's what Skyla hoped; Tai so desperately needed a break when it came to that jerk.

"I plan to, yo!" Tai retreated back into the dressing room, not bothering to return any off the countless dresses she'd brought in to their proper place. She waltzed out with her dress in hand, heading for the other side of the store. "Let's get our gifts for boss man now!"

The pair made their way to the opposite side of the store, where the electronics were housed. Skyla had, apparently, thought of the PERFECT gift to give her beloved. They stopped before the digital picture frames, scanning the models for the right one.

"This. This is the one. Not only does it have the most features and is made from the best technology, but it is also the most expensive. Which means that I care enough about him to blow some of the cash he paid me with right back on him!" Skyla grabbed the box, nodding her approval. She turned to Tai. "So what are you getting him?"

Tai shrugged. "Dunno. Does it really matter? I guess… A toaster? There were some nice ones towards the front of the store." Skyla stared as Tai started off in the direction she had just mentioned. She was kidding. She had to be, right? Who gives someone a toaster for their birthday?

Skyla wondered, for the billionth time in her life, whether Tai had multiple personalities. It was completely feasible.

Skyla caught up with Tai, giving her a disbelieving look. "Are you really going to give Rufus, your boss, the one who signs your paychecks, a toaster?"

Tai nodded, not bothering to look at Skyla as she picked up a box containing a cherry red toaster. "Yea, why not? He likes toast, right? I think I may have seen him eat a bagel or two. This is the prettiest one, so I'm gonna get it. Alrighty, let's go check out!"

Skyla smacked her face with the palm of her head. "You're buying it because it's pretty? Aren't you even going to look at the information they provided on the box?"

"Nope. Now will ya come along, please? I wanna get back in the office before Tseng gets that stick out of his ass and decides to check on us!" Skyla sighed and followed behind Tai, placing her items at the register.

*fast forward to the end of the work day*

"4 straight hours of non-stop work, and I STILL haven't even gotten halfway through all of the new paperwork you created for us. I totally owe you one, Tai." Skyla said bitterly as they exited the ShinRa building.

"Sor-rey! It was an accident. Sheesh, forgive and forget!" Tai grumbled as the made their way through the parking garage.

The two of them got in/on their vehicles and made their way to home-sweet-home. As they cut the engines, they gathered the bags that sheltered their new goods, and climbed the steps to their apartment. As they approached, they saw something odd sitting at the door: a bouquet of flowers. Bright red, pink, and white roses in an high-end looking crystal vase, just casually placed at the entrance.

"Who's it from, yo?" Tai glanced down curiously while Skyla bent to look.

"To Skyla, from…your secret admirer…?" Skyla looked at Tai uncertainly, skimming her mind of who would send her something like this, but coming up short.

Who could it be?

***End Chapter***

_So that was our longest chapter yet! Tell us what you thought in your reviews! :)  
_


	5. Party Like A Boss

Hello everyone! It's been awhile, hasn't it?... So sorry for that. We really are! Thank you so much for reading this and still being here! I promise I have a good reason for the absence, I really do... There was an addition to our little ShinRa family over at the Valentine house! That's right, another little Turk (who was literally named after a Turk... a virtual golden, rainbow-farting unicorn to whoever can first guess which one!). So here it is, long overdo... Chapter 5!

***BEGIN CHAPTER***

Skyla admired the digital picture frame that sat on her desk, smiling with satisfaction. Rufus was going to love it; there was no way he couldn't. After all, she had picked it out and no one knew the President quite like she did. Skyla stood, making her way to the restrooms. Might as well go before having to help decorate the conference room they'd agreed on using for the party. It was large enough to host everyone comfortably, while still keeping the surprise in the shadows.

Tai bounced into Skyla's office. She had come by to make sure her gift was ready so they could decorate and leave, only to find the room devoid of her friend. Her eyes were drawn to the shiny new photo frame lounging on Skyla's desk. She picked it up and walked back to her office to wrap it up. Knowing Skyla, she'd forget and then try to get it done at the last minute. When Tai was finished, she hurried over to the conference room and placed it on top of the pile of gifts that was looming in the corner.

Skyla stalked in with some streamers and a few bags of balloons in hand. "Has that moron got here with the tank of helium yet?"

As if to answer Skyla's question, someone burst into very high-pitched giggles on the other side of the room.

"Rude, you have to try this!" Reno was trying to contain himself as he squeaked to Rude, who was staring expressionlessly (as far as anyone could tell, anyway) at his partner. Reno turned to the girls, serious expression on his face.

"Hey there, ladies. You sure are looking fine, yo." Reno drawled in a high-pitched voice. He wagged an eyebrow at the now blushing Tai, who was trying to contain the giggles bubbling in her chest. Skyla rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

"Let's start filling these up. Here Reno, make yourself useful for once and hang up these streamers over by that window." Skyla threw the thing of streamers at Reno's head (which he managed to catch just before impact) while taking the large can of helium from beside him.

"I think I'll handle this before you kill off any more of your already few brain cells." Skyla muttered, taking a seat in an empty chair by the door. She positioned herself so that she could keep watch of the hallway and still be hidden from view. Just in case the President came to his senses and decided to come looking for her to confess his undying love. Couldn't have him ruining his surpise.

"Wait, what? Does that shit really kill your cells, yo?" Reno's voice was returning back to normal and Skyla could hear the evident confusion in it. He looked at Tai for an answer, but she just shrugged.

"Not directly. But it does displace the oxygen in your lungs, so if you inhale enough at once, it's like you're suffocating. This deprives the brain of oxygen which in turn kills your brain cells. So I guess it sorta does, but not really… Never mind…" Tai waved her hands distractedly and turned to sort through a box of decorations on the table beside her, not noticing the way everyone was staring at her.

Skyla couldn't believe Tai managed to get that much information out without imploding in front of Reno. She never understood it, but Tai hated to look too smart in front of him. Something about guys not liking girls who knew more than they did and him preferring the dumb, spacey types anyways. Skyla, of course, knew this was complete bull shit; Reno only went after chicks like that because they were easy. She may hate the guy, but he was a lot smarter than he let on and there was no way he could stand an idiot in a long term relationship (if he ever decided to pursue one, that was).

Skyla looked over at the aforementioned Turk. He had better be hanging those streamers or she swore on all of Rufus' sexiness that she would beat the hell out of him, only to find that he was, in fact, NOT hanging the thin strips of paper but instead punching Rude.

A very red, very flustered, probably now very bruised Rude.

"What the hell is going on over there? Quit flirting and actually contribute something!"

Reno and Rude both glanced over at her, before grabbing separate rolls of streamers and heading for opposite sides of the room. Skyla watched, amused, as they attacked the walls with the colored paper. She couldn't remember the last time that she had seen Reno look so pissed off about something… Or the last time she had seen Rude with an actual facial expression, for that matter.

Suspicious. Very suspicious.

Tai, meanwhile, was trying her best not to burst into flames. She felt like she would at any moment, her face burned so much. She had overheard the exchange that led to the punches, the entire thing.

*Flashback: Rude & Reno's Argument*

Tai had just turned away when Rude glanced over. "Hmph. She sounded half smart right then."

Reno shook his head. "What ya talkin' bout? She is smart. Wouldn'ta been hired if she was stupid. "

Rude 'hmphed' again. "I always thought Tseng just liked staring at her boobs. Couldn't find much else of a use for her, especially since she causes more damage than anyone."

Reno frowned, not liking where Rude was taking this. "Be careful what ya say there, yo. She's one of my best friends. And how would you know anything bout her boobs? Go back to staring at Tifa and leave Tai alone."

Rude raised an eyebrow, sensing he had hit a nerve with his partner. This wasn't easily done, since Reno was so laid back. He hadn't even tried to rile him up; he'd been joking all along, really. But since he had already pissed him off, might as well keep going. "Tai's much more convenient to look at. Nice ass, too, though I'm sure you've noticed. I've caught you looking before. Probably just friends with her to get some extra benefits whenever you can't find another girl to mess around with."

Rude couldn't believe he just said something like that. About Tai. Didn't mean a bit of it, of course (well, except for her having a nice body…). She was one of the sweetest employees ShinRa had, even if she wasn't exactly his type; she was way too shy and reserved. She was, however, the one girl Reno felt the need to protect. And he was not happy, at the moment. Not happy at all…

"What the fuck did you just say? I told you, don't you ever talk bout her that way!" Reno swung before he knew exactly what he was doing. His fist connected with Rude's left shoulder, causing the bigger man to stumble back a bit. He swung again and punched his arm, his chest, anywhere he could get a hit in. Rude flinched, trying to block but failing. He had forgotten how fast Reno was, especially when he was worked up.

"What the hell is going on over there? Quit flirting and actually contribute something!"

Both men looked over to where Skyla was sitting, filling up balloons and looking incredibly irritated. It was a look she wore often (and well, in Rude's opinion, though he would never share this with Reno). The two grabbed a roll of streamers and headed for opposite sides of the room.

*End Flashback*

Tai shook her head, trying to clear the heat from her skin. The best thing she could do was keep busy, she figured, so that she wouldn't be thinking about what she had heard. She grabbed some lanterns, already strung, from the box and climbed onto the table to hang them from the ceiling.

Tai frowned as she stood on tip-toe reaching up as far as she could. Damn. Even this way she still couldn't reach anything. She looked around, avoiding the places where Rude and Reno had stationed themselves, and spotted what she needed in the corner closest to her: a step-ladder.

Tai hopped down and went to fetch the object, placing it on the table where she had just been standing. She scrambled back up, ascending the ladder with lanterns in hand once again. She had just placed the last one when Tseng burst into the room.

"Tai, I swear, how many times have I told you to LEAVE MY MICROWAVE ALONE?! I go into my office, and what do I see but smoke pouring out! Open the door and find noodles, NOODLES, on FIRE!"

Tai turned to look at Tseng to apologize, momentarily forgetting where she was (about 10 feet from the floor). The ladder, not meant to be placed on elevated surfaces, as it clearly said on the label, started wobbling before deciding to completely tip over. Tai found herself falling and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact.

Only she never hit the ground. Instead, when she pried open her eyes, she found a bright blue pair looking back at her, concerned.

"You ok, yo? Shouldn't have been up there like that, Tai! Coulda been seriously hurt or something. Ya should've just asked me to help, sweetie." Reno shook his head and carried Tai over to a chair beside Skyla. He placed her gently in the seat and turned to go finish his wall of streamers, but not before Tai caught him sneaking a quick glance at her breasts.

Skyla shook her head and handed a blushing Tai the bag of balloons that still needed to be filled, leaving to decorate the food table. Tai couldn't bring herself to look anywhere other than the tank in front of her, too embarrassed to risk eye contact with Reno or be caught staring.

If he saw her stealing glances, would he know she had overheard? And if he knew, what would he think? She didn't want him to find out, or he might deny everything he'd said, put up the façade he wore so well of being shallow. At least she knew she meant something more to him than most girls. She held a place in his heart, even if it was just as a friend. If that was all she ever got to be, she supposed it would have to do.

As Tai smiled softly to herself, her cheeks still stained a light pink, Skyla shook loose a folded linen tablecloth. Placing it on the bare wood, she stretched to smooth out any wrinkles or creases that remained. It would have been a much easier task to do if she was a few inches taller. Sure, she had Tai beat when it came to the height department, but then again, who didn't? Skyla had seen eight year olds taller than her. And while Skyla towered over her best friend (or so it seemed), she was still an inch or two short of what was considered 'average'.

As Skyla placed centerpieces that Tai had crafted down the length of the conference table, she pondered the reason for Rude's display of emotion. Well, other than the one of complete disinterest that he usually wore. It must have been something big for him to react that way and for Reno and him to fight, which they rarely ever do. Neither of them seemed to be in any mood to talk about it, Skyla thought as she stole quick glances. Oh well. Maybe Tai had overheard something. Skyla made a mental note to ask her about it later that night.

Her mind jumped from the quarrel to how Rufus would react when he walked into the room, only to find everyone here, ready to celebrate something he wouldn't himself. He would probably say it was an excuse for everyone to drink, and he wouldn't be wrong. While everyone respected Rufus, no one would pass up a good night of drinking with the pals from work.

After about an hour more, everything was finished and ready for the following day. It looked great, mostly due to Reno actually investing himself in his work, being lost in thought from the incident with Rude. Everyone made their way to the parking lot, ready for the interesting night about to come.

*Fast Forward to Saturday Evening*

"Are ya sure I look alright?" Tai was scanning her outfit and makeup for about the millionth time. Skyla sighed heavily from across the room, getting tired of responding to the same question with the same answer every time.

"Yes, you look great. Now let's go." Skyla grabbed her keys, only to be stopped by a chastising Tai, shaking her head.

"Ya can't drive your motorcycle in a dress, yo. We'll be taking my car tonight." Skyla groaned and put the keys back on the end table. The girls made their way out and down to the car, setting out for the party that was sure to be fun. When they pulled into the back parking lot that was almost never used, just about everyone had already arrived. Tai and Skyla made their way up to the conference room, each lost in their own thoughts.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd make it in time, yo. I can see why it took so long; ya look fantastic!" Reno gave Tai a smile and a quick kiss on the cheek, making her blush.

"What about me?" Skyla asked, hands on her hips. She didn't really expect Reno to compliment her, but she did enjoy annoying the shit out of him.

Reno barely glanced at Skyla. "What about you?" He returned lazily. Skyla rolled her eyes. Reno of the Turks, ever true to his form.

"He's here! The President just pulled in!" One of the lesser Turks (Mandy, Sandy, Tammy… One of those. Skyla was awful with names) shouted as she dashed away from her post at the window. Someone else cut off the lights as everyone took their predetermined positions.

Rufus, having 'forgotten a very important package' (Tseng had called him to inform him of such) in the conference room, was returning to retrieve the item. Why he never questioned forgetting an item he clearly never had didn't make sense to Skyla, but that was the President for you. Even an absolute hunk of a genius had his (be they ever so few) shortcomings.

It seemed as if no one was breathing as they waited to hear Rufus' hand on the doorknob. When the door at last opened and the light flashed on, everyone jumped up, yelling "Surprise!" like they did in the movies.

"What the hell…?" Rufus' eyes drifted around the room, taking in every last detail: the presents, the balloons and streamers, and the table with various foods and (mostly alcoholic) drinks. "When did anyone have time to plan this when the majority of you are so behind on paperwork? I must not be giving enough…"

"Happy birthday sir! Just sit back and relax, have a good time!" Tseng was ushering Rufus to a seat across the room, Elena turning the stereo up so that the music could be heard. The party had officially started.

"I'm gonna go grab a drink. Want anythin', Tai?" Reno asked, already turning towards the refreshments.

"Don't do it, Tai. I wouldn't trust anything he's touched. He'll probably spike it or something." Skyla glared at Reno, who was sticking out his tongue at her.

"Would not. Not cute little Tai's, anyways. I have rat poison especially for yours, yo." He threw over his shoulder as he sauntered away. Skyla gave his back the finger. Sure, he couldn't see it, but it made her feel a hell of a lot better.

"Hey! I never got to answer him…" Tai pouted, watching him from across the room.

"Probably for the best, Tai." Skyla patted the short girl's back as Mandy/Sandy/Tammy made their way over to them.

"Hey girls! Sorry I couldn't help decorate yesterday. Believe me, I would have rather been here than at that awful dentist. I would rather be anywhere other than there, come to think of it…" She shuddered, as if the memory was so awful she couldn't even bear to think of it.

"Anyway, Skyla, have you found out yet who sent those flowers? I've asked Ari and Yoko if they knew of anyone who it could be, but everyone keeps drawing blanks. Not that there aren't guys who like you, Skyla; I'm sure you have a ton of admirers!" Mandy/Sandy/Tammy added as an afterthought.

"No! I haven't gotten anything else from him, either. It's the weirdest thing… What are you smirking about, moron?" Skyla scowled at Reno, who had returned to Tai's side with a glass of punch in one hand, which he handed her, and a beer in the other.

He took a sip before answering Skyla, taking his time. "Nothin' but your face. What was this you were sayin' bout flowers? You've been goin' on bout them all week, yo. Never gotten any before? Can't imagine you have, with an attitude like that."

Skyla glowered at Reno. So what if she'd never gotten flowers before? She didn't usually go for the type that sent them. Her past boyfriends had always given her things like cd's, not perishable plants. That was more of Tai's thing, anyway, all the pretty, cutesy stuff.

"What does it matter to you? It's none of your business. I don't recall anyone inviting you into this conversation, anyway."

Reno laughed, taking another drink and placing an arm around Tai's shoulders. "Tai doesn't mind, do ya?" He smiled down at her, and with the look that passed over Tai's face, Skyla knew she was a lost cause. Not that she would ever ask Tai to choose between her and Reno.

Tai took a sip of the punch Reno had brought her, trying to distract herself from the tension building between him and her best friend. She jerked the cup back, almost spilling it, while her nose scrunched up in disgust. The punch burned a bit as it slid down her throat. She looked up at Reno, who had noticed her reaction and was smiling down at her, amused.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked, a little too innocently.

"What is in this stuff? It's disgusting!" Tai asked, trying to hand him the cup back. This made Reno grin even bigger and he shook his head.

"Nah, just takes some getting' used to! Drink a bit more. It'll grow on ya, yo." He said while urging her to take another sip.

Tai scanned the orange frothy liquid, trying to decide whether she should down anymore of the horrendous concoction. She sighed and raised the glass back to her lips, emptying the cup of its contents. Reno was right; it wasn't as bad the second time. Tai still wasn't completely sold on it. Maybe if she got some more…

"I'm going to get a refill. I'll be back." Tai bounced away, leaving behind a very apprehensive Skyla.

"Reno, what did you do to the punch? That's the only non-alcoholic drink here." Skyla eyed him, just knowing it was him behind the debacle.

"It WAS the only non-alcoholic drink. Just spiked it with a little vodka, yo. Improved it, if ya ask me." Reno winked at Skyla before heading off to grab a second beer (and maybe a shot or two).

Mandy/Sandy/Tammy also left, babbling something about a martini, leaving Skyla standing alone. She sighed, looking around for some sort of distraction. She didn't have to look far, as it was making its way towards her, drinks in hand.

"Take it. You'll need it." Rude said, handing Skyla a shot glass filled with vodka. Without stopping to think, Skyla tipped the glass back and downed the contents. Nodding her thanks to the bald Turk, she wandered off in search of a refill.

Everyone began to loosen up as the alcohol consumption rose. Even Tai was flitting around happily, her nerves no longer on edge. Laughter was abundant and the room buzzed with anticipation of any event that might take place within the few seconds between their swigs of liquid jubilation.

"So you think you can ride this chocobo?!" Everyone turned their eyes to the table that had been pushed aside, a young Turk named Stan standing on top. He was head banging and playing air guitar to the popular rock song playing on the stereo, everyone cheering him on, singing along with him in slurry unison. A shout of "Stan's the man!" could be heard above the melody and applause broke out to signal the unanimous approval.

When the song was over, Stan jumped into the crowd, expecting to body surf to safety. Instead, he met the floor with a loud thud, everyone already dancing to the next song. It was the type of song you'd hear in a club (a highly inappropriate one), with pulsing beats and a hypnotic rhythm. Everyone began to regroup around where Rufus was sitting, watching with awe at what was taking place.

Skyla was doing a strip tease for Rufus, fueled by the close association she'd shared with an entire bottle of vodka and the vibration of the bass under her feet. The President, a few shots deep himself, watched with a dark glint to his eyes, fully enjoying this surprise birthday gift.

The majority of guys were cheering Skyla on, while Tai was throwing clothes at her very drunk friend, willing her to put them on. She took the jacket that Rude was extending to her, trying to cover her half-naked partner.

Rude, meanwhile, huffily excused himself to 'get a drink of water', stomping out of the conference room. Tai finally managed to get Skyla to stop (much to the men's dismay), but it took a lot of struggling and only ended when the song did. Skyla made her way over to a chair, slumping down in it, hand already reaching for her shot glass. Tai refilled her own empty cup for the twelfth time. As she downed the punch she still believed was only punch, she made her way over to Reno.

"You were right about the punch, yo." Tai smiled at Reno, not noticing how badly she was slurring everything. Reno smiled at her, tipping back his glass of whiskey. He had a slight buzz going, but nothing as major as what his colleagues had. His tolerance was on a whole different level; it would take a hell of a lot more to make him as stupid drunk as they were.

"You know, I really like your hair. It's so red. I just want to touch it. I just want to touch YOU." Tai moved closer with each word, unawares of the shrinking distance and increasing seductiveness in her lowering voice.

Tai smiled slowly and giggled at Reno, who was staring at her with a little confusion. This was a different Tai than the one he knew. That sweet, naïve exterior was slipping away to reveal… He wasn't quite sure yet.

Suddenly, Tai began to sway, finding it hard to stand. Why was she so dizzy all of a sudden? She turned to find a chair, but only found herself falling. Not just falling, but sinking right into Reno's lap. He caught her with ease, of course, for the second time that weekend.

Reno gazed down at Tai, who was staring up at him with a drunken smile on her face. She seemed so relaxed, something he had never seen her look around him before. Work must really stress her out, he thought. She reached over with a hand and started rubbing his stomach through his shirt.

"Woah, Reno! You have like… a six-pack! No, an eight-pack! They do have those, right? Or is it a seven-pack…? All I know is…YOU HAVE A PACK!" Tai was staring at him in fascination, as if she had never expected him to be the type to have any of those. Reno laughed, a melodious sound to Tai's ears.

Reno had never seen this side of Tai, but he actually liked it. For once, he didn't feel like she was holding back, afraid of what people thought of her. Was that it? Or was it because she was actually letting him close, letting him see parts of her she had kept hidden? Reno began to question himself. It's true, the two of them were close friends, much like Rude and him. But why did he get so defensive when Rude made those remarks earlier? Yea, he would have stood up for any of his friends, but something about it felt different. They had hit something a bit deeper, and Reno wasn't quite sure he liked how that had felt… It was out of his comfort zone, for damn sure.

Skyla came over, more vodka in her glass, and sat across from Reno. Rude had come back into the room, standing nearby but still acting unsettled, though what about, Skyla couldn't imagine.

She looked over to where Tai was chatting happily, with herself from the looks of it since Reno wasn't replying. He had a far-off look on his face and from the angle she was facing, with the amount of alcohol in her blood, he was kinda hot.

Pshh, like she'd ever say that to him though. She was definitely not drunk enough to do that.

Skyla washed away her thoughts with the burning fire in her cup, peering around her to see if there happened to be a bottle with some more near her. Just as she was getting up to retrieve the drink in question, she felt a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down.

"I think you've had enough. Can't keep your clothes on as it is." Rude grumbled down at her. Skyla could see her slightly stunned expression mirrored back at her from the lenses of his sunglasses. What did he care whether she was covered or stark naked? He was just jealous that she didn't give him a dance of his own.

Well, she could fix that.

Skyla smiled suggestively up at him. She grabbed Rude's hand, slipping it off her shoulder, pulling herself up while pushing him down into the spot she had moments ago occupied. Rude, completely shocked, put up absolutely no resistance as Skyla began to dance and grind against him in time to the song playing. He didn't even move to push up his glasses when they slipped slightly down the bridge of his nose.

Reno watched with amusement at what was going on across from him. Who knew that if you gave Skyla alcohol she wouldn't be such a frigid bitch? She still wasn't his type and he wondered how Rude could stand her. But hey, if that was the guy's style, he said go for it.

"Hehe, I didn't know Sky could dance! Oh, that looks like fun, doesn't it Reno? Maybe I should try…" Tai turned in Reno's lap to face him, having to straddle him to do so. Reno's felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach, like something was fluttering around, trying to escape.

Tai began to sway a bit to the music, but it didn't last long. She erupted into a fit of giggles and had to steady herself against Reno's shoulder. "I… Am NOT a good… Dancer… Hehehe… But you don't mind, right?"

Reno's eyes met gray hopeful ones and he shook his head. The thing in his stomach, it was flying around faster now. She was so close, so damn close to his face. His gaze drifted down to her lips, then back to her eyes. He'd kissed Tai before, but that had just been pretend, right? Yea, it wasn't real. And she was drunk now, probably wouldn't remember it… So if he kissed her, one small kiss, that wouldn't count either. …Would it?

Before Reno could make up his mind, Tai leaned forward. She had made her's up seconds ago: he was going to kiss her and he would enjoy it, damn it. The moment her lips met his, she could taste the whiskey, still lingering on his skin. It was nice, really, the way it gave her that tiny surge of warmth. Tai pulled back a little, searching Reno's face to make sure he wasn't mad. He smiled at her, just a bit, before she decided one taste of the whiskey wasn't enough.

The song was coming to an end. Skyla could tell by the way it was slowing down. Rude hadn't moved towards her any, but he hadn't left either. She took that as a good sign and proceeded to place herself in his lap. Rude's hands came up to circle her waist, steadying her.

She was drunker than she thought, Rude mused while he studied at her. Without his arms around her, he doubted she could stay righted. He sighed, feeling a headache forming. Skyla was going to be a pain to get home, he could already tell.

***END CHAPTER***

So what did ya think? Hopefully at least a fraction worth the wait! Miss Squall Leonhart and I would love (and appreciate) it if you would take the time to PM us your thoughts, or write a review!

Again, thanks guys!


	6. Tai's Chapter: Penthouse Living

So here's a special little chapter that I wrote to give you an in-depth view of what transpired with Tai the night of Rufus' surprise party. I hope you like it! Enjoy!

***Begin Chapter***

Tai laid her head down on Reno's shoulder, giggling at the way the room spun about her as she did so.

"You're a good kisser, Reno. But I guess you should be, after all those girls. It'd be very, very weird if you weren't." Tai slurred heavily as she spoke, drawing misshapen circles on her colleague's chest. He had a damn nice chest, formed after countless hours of training and missions. He had a nice everything, though, as far as Tai was concerned.

Reno frowned down at Tai. She had started out with a compliment, and then? Then she had pretty much called him a player. Oh, he'd been called one before (and then some, by Skyla). But it hurt when Tai did it. He didn't know why, it was pretty close to the truth. So he enjoyed women, who gave a damn?

Apparently he did, when Tai called it out.

It had to be because she was that innocent friend, the one who was naïve to all the wrongs in the world around her. Yeah, let's go with that.

"So how did you get so good at it then, hmm? How many guys have you kissed, Tai?" Reno teased, giving her a playful smirk. Tai gazed at him through her lashes, wearing a (drunken) thoughtful look. It was amazing how alcohol could loosen her up; normally, Tai would be red and stuttering at this point.

"I don't think I've kissed very many, actually. Maybe… two? Yeah, sounds right. It's the punch. It has to be! It's magic, Reno! We should get some to take home!" Tai popped up suddenly, nearly tipping over in her haste to obtain some of the "magic" punch for future use. Reno reached out and steadied her before she could topple over.

"Woah there, Tai. I think the magic punch can wait for another day, yo. I say it's time you head home." Reno stood, keeping the short girl steady beside him while doing so. Tai nodded, fumbling inside the top of her dress for something. Reno gazed down in amusement at Tai, wondering what the hell she could possibly be doing. What was in her dress besides her boobs? And why would she be bringing them out here? In front of all of these people?

In front of all of these people. Once again, Reno felt an unsettling feeling stirring in the depths of his stomach. Something he had rarely felt before in his life: jealousy. No matter how drunk she was, Reno would absolutely NOT allow her to just flash everyone she knew. It pissed him off to even imagine other guys checking her out.

Never mind the fact that he had absolutely no right to feel this way. He did and there was nothing he could do to stop it, except stop her.

"Tai, sweetie, I don't really think this is the time or place to be doing that, yo…" Reno trailed off as Tai pulled a set of keys from the inside of her dress. Which she probably had tucked inside her bra for safekeeping. She wasn't pulling out her breasts, she was retrieving her keys.

Well, that was a relief.

Only, now he had a whole new problem. She was drunk, obviously, and not able to drive. Which meant that she was also not able to get herself home. He didn't have that problem, living only a couple of blocks from work… Reno smiled to himself. That was it; Tai would stay with him tonight.

"Nuh-uh, don't think so shorty. There is no way I would let you drive in your current state. You're coming with me, yo." Reno wrapped his arm around Tai's shoulder and gently steered her towards the door.

"Where we goin'?" Tai blinked up at him, confused.

"My place." Reno led Tai out of the noisy conference room, the sounds of the party dying away as he headed for the elevator. He passed Rude on the way and gave a brief nod to his partner, wondering just when exactly he had disappeared and where to. He made a mental note to ask him later.

"Oooo,, your place," Tai giggled as she attempted to push every button (Reno stopped her… barely), "Wonder how many girls have heard that before. What we gonna do there, huh?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Reno, batting her eyelashes and laughing when a blush crept slowly across his face.

Why did she have to keep bringing up all those girls? And when did she become so… seductive? Reno stared intently on the display above the doors, focusing on the numbers of the floors they were passing. Maybe if he directed his attention elsewhere, he could ignore his discomfort with the feelings rising up inside of him.

There was a "Ding!" and the doors slid open, Tai spilling out into the lobby of the ShinRa building. Reno helped her up, half-helping, half-dragging her back to his apartment. They made his way up to his apartment (the penthouse, not to brag or anything) and Reno retrieved the keys from his pocket. As he was unlocking the door, Tai slid her arms around him from behind, leaning into him.

"Mmmmm, you're so strong. How long did it take for you to get this way? Bet it took, like, years! Maybe even longer! Holy shit, you're place is HUGE!" Tai stared open-mouthed, astounded at what she saw before her. Floor to ceiling windows letting in the lights of the city at night, a gigantic flat screen on one wall, shiny hardwood floors. Tai spun around in circles, surveying the apartment before collapsing in a dizzy fit of giggles on the couch.

"Reeeeeno, this is great! You should've brought me back here sooner. Come here and sit with me!" Tai patted the spot next to her, beckoning the red-head to take the empty space. Reno warily approached it, barely having sat down before Tai launched herself into his lap. She smiled slowly at him while she reached up to undo her hair, letting it fall around her as she slipped the sleeve of her dress down.

Reno began panicking. He loved Tai, sure, but not that way. Right? He wasn't even sure anymore. He must have drank more than he thought, tonight, because his thoughts were starting to get fuzzier the closer Tai's dress got to slipping down her frame. This wasn't right, she was his friend. Just his friend. He couldn't let her do something she'd regret come morning.

Reno reached up, stopping Tai from pulling her dress off and gently pushed her off his lap into the spot beside him. "I think it's best if we just go to sleep now, sweetie. Do you want the couch or the bed?"

Tai looked confused for a moment, before looking around her. "The couch. All the pretty lights are here. Maybe they'll sing me to sleep. I like music. It's nice," she rambled as she slowly sank onto a throw pillow. Her eyes were feeling heavier by the second, closing against her will as Reno draped a blanket from the back of the couch over her.

"Nighty night Reno. Love you." Tai mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

*Fast-forward to noon*

Last night was a mistake.

Tai could already tell, the moment consciousness began easing its way back to her, that she really overdid the partying the night before. Her mouth was dry, her head felt like it would explode at any given second, and her eyes felt glued shut. Tai managed to pry them open, only to discover the reason they didn't want to do it themselves in the first place. The light was trying to rip her eyeballs from their sockets (or at least that's what it felt like).

Tai sat up slowly, not liking the way her body ached or the dizzying wave of nausea that rolled over her. Trying to ignore her protesting stomach, she groggily surveyed her surroundings.

This was most definitely not her apartment. It was too orderly, too modern, too… big. Where were all her clothes? More importantly, where were her darling shoes?

Tai stood up, shakily (though if we're truly being honest here, she was one step from falling over). She slowly made her way across the apartment to what she believed was a bedroom, hoping to find out where she was. This, if she was lucky, would give her some clue as to what exactly had transpired the night before.

Tai poked her head into the opened door… And almost fell over. Not from being completely hungover, from sheer surprise.

In the biggest bed Tai had ever seen laid a half-naked (god like) Turk. She was in Reno's apartment.

Dear giver of all that is glitter covered and shiny, please don't let her have done or said anything stupid last night.

Tai backed up and turned around, making her way as noiselessly as possible to the door. She let herself out and made her way to the elevator and out of the building. Tai stared at the ground as she walked, willing everyone she passed not to look her way. She was a hot mess and she knew it. What would they think? Would they know she was doing the Walk of Shame home to her apartment?

Tai was so busy trying to make her way home unnoticed, that she stumbled straight into someone.

"Oh, I am sooo sorry!" Tai looked up, making eye contact with the chest of her victim of carelessness.

It was the second hottest chest she had seen in her life.

***End Chapter***

****Well, how was it? Hope you liked it! As always, I would love and appreciate it if you would leave a review!


	7. Skyla's Chapter: I Don't Care

So here is Miss Squall Leonhart's chapter on what happened to Skyla after Rufus' party. She just said, "I don't care." when I asked for what she would like the title to be... So there ya go.

***Begin Chapter***

Sklya sighed, the alcohol thick on her breath. Her bladder was crying out for release, and she thought it would be wise to give it what it wanted. She stood on shaky legs, stumbling to the door frame. Rude grabbed her by her shoulders, turning her to face him.

"Relax, I'm just gonna go pee." Skyla rolled her eyes at his attempt to stop her from doing something stupid. He nodded and walked her to the restrooms, standing outside the door as she went in. "I can't pee if you're just gonna stand there and listen. Sheesh." Rude shook his head and walked a little further down the hall, watching his coworkers make fools of themselves trying to dance when they had absolutely no rhythm.

Skyla opened the door, peeking her head out to make sure the coast was clear. She made it to the elevators, getting in and hitting the button to take her down. She was in the mood to make some gil, and she knew exactly where to go: Gold Saucer.

As Skyla made it out into the streets, Rude knocked on the restroom door, hearing nothing but running water. He opened the door slowly, peering inside cautiously. Nothing. He turned off the faucet before all of Shinra was flooded and hurried out into the hall, searching frantically for a highly intoxicated Turk. He vaguely remembered hearing stories about Skyla's drunken adventures, all of them somehow ending up with her making a fortune that she would just blow on more alcohol or other seemingly useless things.

Rude fished his keys out of his pocket and hurried to the parking lot. Meanwhile, Skyla had just gotten to the casino, where she was greeted by smiling faces. Everyone knew her, but how could they not after all the jackpots she'd hit and the gil she'd collected? She set out for the tables, ready to win big.

Rude got there some time later, scanning the crowds as he made his way into the casino. Everyone was gathered around one of the tables, captivated by whatever was playing out. He had a feeling he knew what was at the center of the crowd, or more accurately, _who_. Inwardly groaning, he began to make his way for the chaos that awaited, steeling himself. He hoped desperately that the being at the center of the crowd would come willingly, not wanting to make more of a scene then he would already have to make.

"Come to mama!" Skyla pulled a pile of coins toward her, having to use both arms to avoid them collapsing. "Lady Luck must have a thing for me!" She grinned at all the people eying her and her rather large pile of goodies. Rude briefly admired her skill, and then made his way over to her, praying that she would be ready to leave. How could she possibly want to stay any longer when she'd already made so much?

"Skyla, I think it's time we got back." He glanced at his watch, noticing it was already a little after 3 in the morning. He hadn't realized so much time had passed, but it was hard to keep up with time when he had to keep up with intoxicated Turks.

"Say what?" She looked up at him, eyes swimming from the bright lights and alcohol. "I don't wanna, I'm just getting started!" She smiled wide and turned back to the table. Rude stared at her, devising a plan. How could he lure her away from the tables and back to safety and peace?

"Tai was asking for you. It would appear she needs you for something personal."

"Why didn't you say that to begin with?!" Skyla grabbed her coins, struggling a bit. Rude took half of them so that they could leave without hindrance. Luckily, people had dispersed, finding no interest without someone winning big at the table. Rude helped Skyla cash in her coins, then led her out of the chaos and excitement.

After much time and drunken babbling, they made it back to his place. Of course Skyla had fallen asleep in his passenger seat, worn out from a long night of partying. How she managed to have so much energy was beyond him. He picked her up gently, not wanting to wake her and be subjected to more nonsensical outbursts. He struggled with his door, but managed to get inside without hitting her head against things too many times. He laid her on his bed and covered her up, then went to the couch, where he suddenly wished he'd bought the sofa displayed in the furniture shop last weekend.

When Skyla woke, she stared up at the light peeking through the curtains and spilling onto the ceiling. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, stretching. What time was it, and where even was she? This didn't look like her ceiling; at least it didn't before last night. Maybe she'd done some remodeling last night after she left Gold Saucer. She sat up and looked around, deciding this most definitely wasn't her room. It was cleaner than any room she'd been in and incredibly dull. The clock read 1:27pm.

She got out of bed and opened the door, peeking her head out. No one was there. She looked around, searching for any hint of whose home it was. Just as she was about to give up, who should walk in but Rude, in his signature suit and sunglasses. Skyla pretended he looked surprised to see she was up, because she would assume someone else would react that way. Of course, with Rude, you could never tell if he was excited or his cat just died.

"Do you ever wear anything else? Or do you even have pajamas designed like your suit?" Skyla smirked at him. She really would like to see him in jeans and a fitted tee, just because it's so uncharacteristic and simple.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"Jeesh, nice to see you too." Skyla sighed and made sure she had everything she'd had last night. Satisfied with everything being there, she followed him out the door and to his car. The sunlight was brighter than she'd last remembered, but that could be due to the growing migraine coming on. "Weird, I never get migraines…" Skyla mumbled to herself. She rubbed her head, and Rude inwardly scolded himself for hitting her head against the doorframe so many times.

He drove her back to her apartment, an awkward silence clinging to the air the entire way. Skyla opened the door, but hesitated to get out. Rude looked at her, observing her expression with curiosity. What was she waiting for? Was she going to be sick? If she was, he hoped desperately she did it outside of his car.

"Thanks for last night." Skyla glanced over at Rude, then back out the windshield. "You know, looking after me and whatnot. I know I can be hard to follow when I've been drinking." She let out a small sound that barely passed for a giggle. "But, um, see you at work tomorrow." She quickly exited the car, closing the door and hurrying to unlock her door. As Rude pulled away and she closed the door, she wondered why she had felt so nervous just a moment ago. She decided it had to be the hangover, throwing her mood off. The fact that there wasn't a cloud in the sky didn't exactly help with the killer migraine that threatened to split her skull.

"Yea, definitely the hangover…" Skyla muttered to herself as she sank into the soft sheets of her comforting bed.

***End Chapter***

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